Alakazam
by NeverEndingNonsense
Summary: ArtemisHolly: fluffy stuff. Artemis does magic, Holly has talent, he can't remember, she can't resist. Fun fun fun. R&R :COMPLETE:
1. Addition and Subtraction

**A/N**: Plot bunny…that's all I have to say. I had to start it, and you folks out there that want me to continue my other fics, maybe this will chill you out, its not a one shot mwuahahahahaha. It's planned at around 8 chapters. Here's the first!

**Disclaimer**: Well…I did the crime and the time, no I don't own Colfer's Artemis Fowl.

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**New Haven, LEP HQ**

"After detailed investigation, inspection, and revision of your case Miss Short, we, the council have come to the conclusion that in your present condition, though out of your control, you are a danger to the hidden existence of the People. And that furthermore, because of this, we have no choice, but to relocate you to a position above ground. You of course understand that this is for the good of the People."

The words of the councilman echoed through the conference room, building up force and finally slamming into Captain Short's chest hard enough to knock the wind from her lungs. She stuttered inaudible words of disbelief and protest, gawking with wide eyes, her fingers twitching. A gentle hand on her shoulder caused her head to snap away from the council and toward Commander Root. His face was oddly pale, and his eyes sad. He squeezed her shoulder softly in his best attempt at comforting and took her hand, helping her up and out of the office. Holly's legs seemed to move out of instinct because her mind wasn't processing anything that was happening around her.

She'd been decommissioned. Kicked out. Fired. And to top it all off, she now had to live with the mud men. This was all Fowl's fault. 'If it weren't for him and his stupid Arctic dealy thing I wouldn't be in this pickle.'

The radiation of the Arctic, combined with Holly's healing had caused a sudden and unexpected growth spurt to turn her 3 foot, normal elfin height, to that of a 5 foot….well…freak. Too short really to be a normal human, but much too tall for an elf. She didn't belong now…she didn't belong. And because of this freakishness there was one less recon jock. And one more abnormal mud maid…

'D'Arvit.'

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**A/N**: I hope you liked the first chapter…yea I know I didn't start Searching like I said I would but…I just couldn't ignore this one. I'm going on vacation tomorrow, so no new chapter for like a week, but when I get back I should have like two chapters done and maybe a start of Searching…maybe. 


	2. Heistdini

**A/N**: w00t second chapter up before I leave! I'm sooooo proud. R&R lovelies.

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**Midnight, Tokyo, Japan**

"Go."

A simple command, but the only one needed. The door of the large black SUV shut with a sound halfway between a slam and a click as a pale youth slid across the seat, clutched in his slim fingers was a long thin gold chain. A sizable ruby hung at the end in the shape of a crescent moon. As the SUV took off through the street, taking a short cut through a tight alleyway, the boy wiped the slightest hints of sweat from his brow and smirked. But really…to call him a boy would be insulting. Not only was he nearly 19 years old, but he had the IQ and general life knowledge to put almost any adult to shame.

"Well done Artemis, I do believe that that was your best time to date." The large man driving the SUV commented after several moments of silence. The pale teen in the back seat smirked again and held the ruby up at eye level, his sapphire eyes contrasting violently with the stone.

"Yes Butler, I do agree that this was a particularly well executed heist. Everything went off without a hitch. I am pleased." Artemis ran his fingers over the crimson gem thoughtfully. "Perhaps…too well. Are you sure that we weren't bugged…or followed?"

Butler looked his principal over in the rearview mirror, looking slightly hurt at this comment. "Yes Master Artemis, I'm positive."

"Right…of course. Sorry old friend, for questioning your skills, I suppose I'm just a tad paranoid with all the press coverage about me."

Now, seeing as how the press coverage was of criminal activity, no one but himself and Butler knew that Artemis was the one committing the heists. Well with the exception of Juliet, who was much too clever a girl to stay in the dark very long. The newspapers had dubbed him "Heistdini" for his…unusual manner of thievery.

Around the age of 15 Artemis Fowl the second had awoken with a terrible headache, and feeling of loss. Strangely both his man servant Butler, and his maid Juliet, had awoken with the same odd feelings. To make this event odder, certain memories and recollections between the three seemed to be missing, out of order, and contradictory. After months of research into this strange phenomenon Artemis had put it on hiatus. Never one to give up on anything, he just felt it was useless at the time to continue pondering what seemed to be a cold case.

After this memory loss Artemis found himself fascinated with magic, obviously for reasons unknown. Even more peculiar since Artemis had always rather loathed magicians for "making a mockery of science" as he put it. Beginning small with amateur card tricks, the young genius moved up quickly till he rivaled Harry Houdini in the art of illusion. With his newfound skills and love of slight of hand tricks, Artemis took his magic show to the bank…literally. His first major, magic crime was robbing a bank blind right before the eyes of the teller. When they locked up that night they found more than 3 million dollars missing without a trance.

Artemis used his magic skills again only a week later to pilfer a priceless painting from a large museum in Egypt. Several months later, and a few more pinches Artemis' string was linked together because they all had the same unusual trademark of magic. Of course only highly trained magicians spotted the fact that the crimes were pulled off by use of slight of hand, but no matter. It resulted in the nickname "Heistdini".

At first Artemis had been annoyed at this silly name but after a couple of weeks he grew fond of the title and began using even more magic in his crimes. This ruby lifting was no exception. He'd pulled out all the stunts to trick the cameras, pressure sensors, heat sensitive room, and laser linked alarms. It had been the hardest to date and Artemis had had to improvise after, embarrassingly, running short on mirrors which were a major part of the illusions he was making for the cameras. But ever the resourceful criminal mastermind Artemis pulled off the trick and escaped with the ruby in a record ten minutes, not bad, not bad at all.

The SUV pulled into the driveway of Fowl Manor at 1:00am sharp, and Artemis slipped the ruby into the pocket of his Armani suit, striding up the stairs and through the oak doors and smug grin pulling at the corner of his mouth ever so slightly.

Tomorrow would be a good day, he thought as he climbed into bed the ruby hidden away in his safe under his bed. A big show…a big crowd, and a big pay off.

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**A/N**: gone to the beach be back later. Ja Ne!


	3. Abra

**A/N**: I'm BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK! Did ya miss me :grin grin: you know you did. Well like a good little author I updated as soon as I got home. Enjoy loves, thank you for your reviews! Keep 'em comming.

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**9:00am, Downtown, Holly's Apartment**

A loud, annoying scream pierced the quiet of the morning and a thoroughly annoyed moan followed by a smash accompanied it; the smash serving to silence the loud screaming.

"I hate alarm clocks." Holly Short muttered to herself as she opened a tired looking, slightly bloodshot hazel eye. "Damn mud men and their stupid inventions…." She grumbled as she literally rolled out of her low lying bed onto the floor, where she paused for a moment to stretch out. Still mumbling and complaining to herself, Holly got up and dressed herself in "normal" cloths, no more LEP uniform, how depressing.

Holly moved around her two room, one bathroom apartment without opening her eyes more than once. She sat down at the table finally once dressed and ate a bowl of lucky charms still with her eyes closed. "It's too early to be awake…." she moaned at no one as she cracked her eyes open experimentally. 'Not as if I have anything better to do than sleep.' It had been a few days, nearly a week, since her expulsion from the LEP and she had had no luck whatsoever at finding a job. She spent most of her days wandering around downtown looking in shops and sitting in on different shows and such. Pretty boring compared to risking her neck flying a shuttle up to Tara to quell a goblin uprising.

Today Holly had no plans at all, she hadn't seen anything the previous day to go to and so she was winging it. Still groggy and irritable Holly finished off the last of her lucky charms, glaring at the leprechaun on the front as she put the box away and scurried out the door at 10am, not really caring what she looked like. A mess or an angel, Holly's attitude was 'screw that' today…it was not a good day, she could tell.

**Fowl Manor, 9:00am**

_Beep, beep, beep_

Artemis Fowl the second sat up almost at once, his deep blue silk pajamas hanging loosely on his thin, but lightly muscled frame. Hitting the offending alarm clock slightly harder than necessary he cracked his neck and yawned, swinging his legs off the side of the bed and standing up. He stretched a bit to get some blood flowing and then went about getting ready for his busy day.

At 9:30 a sharp knock on the door told Artemis breakfast was ready and to come down. He did so immediately, greeting his mother and father before eating his Benedict Arnold and Meiosis quickly. Despite the fact that he was no longer a child, Artemis still got excited before a show and always had a twinge of stage fright, though he would never admit it to anyone. He excused himself from the table and Butler followed him into the foyer. "Are we ready to go Butler?"

A small nod from the man servant and he opened the door for his principle. "Everything is set Master Artemis."

Climbing into the Bentley, Artemis checked that all his required illusionary devises were in the car and that his solitary white dove was safely perched in her cage in the seat next to him. Quietly Artemis cooed to the bird, telling her of the important show she was to help him with today; he had become quite fond of his feathered friend in the two years he'd had her. He'd named her Holly; Artemis didn't know why he'd named her that, it just sort of…came to him when he saw the fire in her eyes. She was a very smart bird, Artemis had known from the start.

With everything accounted for Artemis nodded to Butler who pulled out of the long driveway and headed downtown to the pub that Artemis was to perform at later that night.

**Downtown, 11:00am**

Butler parked the Bentley outside the pub and loaded Artemis' things backstage, as Artemis found the owner and instilled a good deal of fear in him as he insisted that the man take most excellent care of Holly for him. His show wasn't until 6 that night so he had plenty of time to wander around, shopping for additional items he could use in his show, or just in general look at things. Holly cooed softly as Artemis stroked her head a few times with his finger and said goodbye to her, assuring her that he'd be back later.

Butler appeared by thedoor and cleared his throat causing Artemis to turn and smile slightly. "Off we go then." He said and strode out of the pub into the downtown streets for a few hours of shop hopping.

* * *

Holly walked slowly down the sidewalk, her eyes half-lidded. She yawned for about the hundredth time that morning and stretched again, almost tripping as she did so. Cursing under her breath she turned into her favorite shop for a look around. Not that she could afford anything, she just liked looking.

The sign above the store read MARTIN'S MAGIC MULTI-STORE and it was full of random mystical items. From tarot cards to actual fairy artifacts that Holly found to be very valuable back in Haven. A second or two later, as she made her way back to the amulets section the bell above the door tinkled again and Holly poked her head around a large book shelf to see a most amazing sight. Her stomach gave an odd lurch as she starred, for the first time in years, at the mud weasel, Artemis Fowl.

Holly nearly dropped the charm in her hands as he turned away from the counter and looked right at her. For a second she thought recognition flashed in his eyes, but then she saw that it was just a light trick caused by the many crystals hanging from the ceiling.

Artemis felt her eyes on him and starred at her for a second before nodding curtly and turning toward a display.

'Ah…so he doesn't remember. Good…I suppose.' Secretly though, Holly had somewhat hoped Artemis would recognize her, at least it would give her a friend on the surface. Slightly flushed she buried her face in a nearby book and sat down on the floor, pretending to read, but really peaking at Artemis through the many rows of displays and shelves.

"This could prove useful for our next show." Artemis said to Butler, emphasizing the word show, as if hidden meaning were in it. However Holly couldn't see what he was holding. She found herself somewhat puzzled now. Why would Artemis be in a magic shop? He didn't strike her as the magician type.

After nearly an hour of eavesdropping on them, Artemis and Butler made their purchases and went back out onto the street to look for a bite to eat. Holly pushed herself up off the floor, irked that her feet and rear were somewhat numb and marched up to the counter.

"Do you by chance know him?" She asked the lady working the register.

The young woman looked up and smiled her bright emerald eyes twinkled in the crystal light. "Yez, 'e iz a v'ry talented ma'jision. 'is name iz Ar'himis Fow'. 'e iz performhing tonigh' at ze pub down ze street."

"Thank you." Said Holly hastily and rushed out of the shop to follow him. Something told her, he was up to no good. Catching sight of him a ways down the street, Holly began her pursuit, a familiar and comforting adrenaline surge taking hold of her.

**Outside the Pub, 5:38pm**

The day had past now and Artemis yawned, leaning his head to the side slightly as he stood outside the pub. He had noticed a short, auburn haired woman following him all day, the same one from the magic shop. He didn't mind her much, perhaps she was just a fan of his, and Artemis' calm demeanor helped to chill Butler out, who had been very tempted to break the girl's neck.

Artemis took a final drag of his cigarette and tossed it down, grinding it out with his foot. He sighed lightly and turned to enter the backstage door, catching a look at the woman one last time.

It was somewhat muggy in the pub, the smell of smoke and alcohol was very prominent and Artemis was immediately concerned for Holly, and therefore went to go get her from the manager's office. Butler, meanwhile set up Artemis' act and secured the area. In a few minutes Artemis returned, dressed in his act attire with Holly perched contently on his shoulder, nuzzling her white head into his neck affectionately. The curtain would rise soon.

* * *

Holly peaked out from behind a car across the street as Artemis walked in the backstage access door, as soon as he was out of site she ran across the street and into the pub, pushing her way to the bar and ordering a tall scotch as she watched the stage.

At 6:00pm sharp the curtains rose and their, center stage stood Artemis Fowl the second, in a black suit, with a deep purple shirt visible under it. On his shoulder a beautiful white dove sat motionless.

"Welcome." Was all Artemis said before jumping right into his act. The first thing he did was pick up the bird on his shoulder and make it disappear, this served to wow the crowd right away. Artemis went about his routine, looking somewhat bored; every once in a while though a smile would cross his face.

Finally after several feats of illusionary mastery Artemis raised a scarf above his head, making it levitate, for a few minutes before covering his shoulder with it. He smirked out into the crowd and pulled the scarf away quickly, their on his shoulder, just as when he started sat the magnificent white dove. The dove cooed loudly and Artemis bowed, the curtains closing on a standing ovation.

Holly smiled lightly 'He's good.' Getting up and draining the rest of her scotch, Holly left the pub in search of more interest. The night was still young after all.

* * *

Artemis yawned back stage, petting Holly affectionately as Butler packed everything up. "It was a good show, wasn't it Holly?" He asked with a grin. He slipped her into her cage, hanging a thick gold chain from the top bar for her to play with. "You earned it." He patted the lump in his suit pocket, all of it stolen jewels and money from the night's show; all of it stolen, by his dove. She was indeed, an intelligent bird.

"Now…I think a bit of social fun is in order, Butler. What do you say?" Artemis looked over at his man servant questioningly. The look on Butler's face was comical, he was shocked. Artemis didn't normally enjoy venturing into public for anything other than business.

"Where do you suggest sir?" He asked with interest.

"The dance club I believe with serve well. Many pockets to pick with everyone jammed up against each other."

Ah…so that was his reason. Artemis just wanted to make a few more pounds before calling it a night. Butler nodded and they made their way to PAROLE the hottest club downtown.

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**A/N**: Next Chapter comming soon. R&R to make chapters come faster!


	4. You Put A Spell On Me

**A/N**: What is this the fourth chapter? I dunno, whatever. Enjoy, this one I think might be a bit odd, or awkward sounding, it was weird to write, I think I'm tired...oh well. I always say my stuff sounds funny. R&R, I think I might wait until I get some more reviews before I post the next chapter, just ya know...to be annoying.

**Disclaimer:** I guess I should renew this...no...still not owning it. Damn...

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**PAROLE, 10:32pm**

Holly sat at yet another bar, a bit of sweat forming on her forehead. It was rather warm in the dim, foggy club. Music pounded through her body; currently Going Under by Evanescence was being played as loud as was legal. She sipped at her martini and looked around. In a bored attempt to amuse herself Holly began to levitate her little paper umbrella that came in her previous drink. Finding this to be calming Holly continued to perform minor magic for herself. Of course there were no mirrors or illusions to Holly's magic.

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Artemis walked in and felt like he'd hit a wall of solid heat and sound waves. He pushed his way through the crowd lifting a few wallets on the way, Butler right behind him. When he sat down at the bar he looked around and noticed the same girl from earlier sitting there. 'She was in the pub too…' He thought as he watched her. Just then she made a small paper umbrella lift into the air and hover there before disappearing completely. Shocked Artemis got up and walked toward her, determined to prove how she had done that without even moving more than her finger.

He sat down next to her, startling her some, because she jumped slightly when he spoke. "Good evening miss."

Holly smiled a bit, her heart starting to race straight away. "Hello yourself."

Artemis found this to be a slightly rude response but waved it away and pushed onward with more determination then before. "I was wondering if you'd care to share how you managed to do what you just did with that umbrella."

Holly eyed him suspiciously and shrugged nonchalantly. "A good magician never reveals how she does her tricks." A smug grin tugged at her lips at the look of annoyance on the genius' pale face.

"Very well then." Artemis said trying to hide his obvious disappointment. This girl was clearly talented and Artemis could use her in his operations. Though he rarely, if ever took partners he thought he might make an exception for the pretty girl sitting next to him.

"Do you want to dance?" Holly's smile faltered as she asked this, unsure if she'd actually spoke aloud or if she had merely thought it. Her confusion was mirrored by Artemis, who was understandably shocked at this sudden and bold question.

"Er…" Er? Er? That wasn't even a word. Artemis' eyes crossed in irritation at himself but he quickly recovered his poise with the thought that a dance might give him time to at least pilfer a few more wallets and valuables. "Sure, why not."

Artemis stood and extended his hand, which Holly took, and walked into the crowd of people. To Artemis' displeasure, and luck, a slower song came over the speakers, meaning couple dances were in order, no more bump and grind. It was displeasing because he would have to hold this girl, he'd just met, but lucky because at least he knew how to dance slowly.

Holly twitched as Holding On by Ferry Corsten began to play; she wasn't planning on being wrapped up in Artemis' arms. 'D'Arvit.'

They made their way to the middle of the dance floor and Artemis put his arms around Holly's waist, her arms draped lazily over his shoulders. They swayed back and forth, eyes half-lidded as did most of the other club occupants.

"So…you're a magician?" Artemis questioned, to break the awkward silence that had fallen.

"Excellent deduction my dear Fowl." Holly responded and immediately cursed herself for not only lying, but for saying his last name, which he had not told her.

"You know who I am?"

"Well…" Holly stalled, thinking up a believable fib. "You…are rather well known. I watched your show today, you were very good." Holly bit her tongue to keep herself from rambling out of nerves.

"Thank you." Artemis seemed to take this as the truth and smiled a vampire smile at Holly. "But I'm afraid that I still do not know you."

Holly Short pondered the idea of lying for a few moments before deciding that she didn't care if he remembered her or not. "Holly." She said simply and they continued to dance.

"Holly. I'm fond of that name." He didn't tell her his bird's name was Holly, for fear it may insult her. "Well Holly, I was wondering if perhaps, since you won't tell me how you do your tricks, if you would think about becoming my partner." The question was out and hanging in the air before Artemis had time to think about what he was rushing into. He had even forgotten all about pick-pocketing. This girl seemed to have put a spell over him. Quickly as though he needed to clarify himself Artemis added "Magic partner that is. I've been looking for a talented person like yourself."

Maybe it was the muggy, smoke and alcohol filled air. Maybe it was all the mushy couples around them. Maybe it was the music that seemed to have drunken her worse than the three shots and two other drinks she'd had. Holly couldn't tell, but somehow her mind was a bit fuzzy in the thought department. "I'd like that very much." She said in a low voice, her cheeks turning a bit pink. 'I must be crazy.' Ok so maybe her thoughts were just fine….Maybe she was just lonely, and she did need a job.

Artemis looked shocked, having expected her to deny his offer and had to settle for nodding as a response. Suddenly the music switched to something loud and fast, causing Artemis to jump slightly as the people around them resumed their earlier dance forms. Holly stifled a giggle and pulled Artemis back over to the bar where Butler was sitting with a glass of Brandy.

Butler eyed his charge curiously, and hinted at breaking every bone in the young woman's body, but Artemis shook his head and introduced her. "This is Holly, Butler; she'll be coming back with us I believe. She has agreed to my request." Butler raised an eyebrow at this but did not question Artemis. He merely grunted his response and stood, following his master out to the Bentley.

Holly followed Artemis to the car and seated herself next to him as he motioned for her to do. "We can drop you off at your residence if you'd like. However as my partner, I extend an invitation to stay at the Manor to you."

Holly mulled this over and over finally deciding that she didn't really wish to return to the empty apartment devoid of memories. At least Fowl Manor held a place in her heart. "I accept your offer, Fowl."

**Fowl Manor, 1:17am**

The Bentley halted in the driveway in front of Fowl Manor and Artemis Fowl stepped out, casually helping Holly. "I will show you to your room Holly." He said with an emotionless face and led the way though the familiar halls to a guest room. "I am three doors down, on your left, if you need any assistance that a maid or Butler cannot help you with, you may come find me. Goodnight, or rather…good morning."

Holly smiled and bid him good morning as well, walking in and crashing onto the bed. It was so warm and comfortable that she fell asleep without even bothering to change or anything else.

'Root would kill me….' Was Holly's last coherent thought, it caused the smile on her lips to fade into a sad forlorn expression. Unconsciously Holly mumbled, as if an after thought. "I wish he remembered me…"

* * *

Artemis entered his room and got ready for long awaited sleep. Dressed in his deep blue silk pajamas Artemis sparred a few moments to tell Holly of his night after the show, and confide in her, that his stomach had been churning in a most unpleasant way from the moment he laid eyes on the strange magician that shared his pet's name. Holly cooed softly, the fire that Artemis had always seen in her eyes intensifying. "Now don't be jealous Holly, I promise I will not like this new Holly anymore than the original." He stroked her head softly as a yawn shook his body. "Goodnight Holly." He said and turned out the light with a clap of his hands.

As Artemis let sleep consume him, the churning in his stomach continued; and his mind allowed a most unusual thought to plague his subconscious. _This new Holly is the original. _However, for the time being his subconscious would not share this thought with his conscious mind.

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**A/N**:wink: R&R


	5. Kadabra

**A/N**: W00000000000! Chappy 5:proud: More of a filler really, but it has some humor and fluff type stuff. Remember to R&R darlings. :hugs to all:

Thanks to all my reviewers, your encouragement keeps my desire to write burning.

Special thanks to Lonnie-chan (Queenizzay) even though she doesn't read these, I still need to thank her for sorta being my inspiration! Go read her stuff, its amazing. AND special thanks to a very enthusiastic reviewer of mine -R0ck 4ng3l-

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**Fowl Manor, 2:00pm**

Holly Short rolled over and fell, landing with a thud, and an undignified "oaf", on the ground; opening her eyes to stare up at the ceiling of one of the many Fowl guest rooms. For a moment Holly panicked unable to remember how she had gotten there, but the sled hammer hitting her temples was evidentially more worthy of her attention. Rubbing the sides of her head and groaning, she stood up on wobbly, jelly legs and fumbled over to the door. Just as she began to reach for the knob a tap came from the other side, followed by a slightly concerned sounding voice.

"Miss Holly…erm…Holly?" The door handle turned and a young blonde girl poked her head in. "Miss Holly…Master Artemis sent me to see if you were still breathing. Its 2:00 in the afternoon and…" she trailed off when she saw Holly standing near the door massaging her pounding temples. "Oh…so you are awake."

Holly went to make a sarcastic comment along the lines of "no I'm sleep walking you foolish mud girl" but the pain her head was experiencing prevented her from thinking clearly enough to conjure one up.

The girl at the door stepped inside and immediately could smell the alcohol hanging on Holly. "I see…" she said more to herself than Holly. "Would you like to come down to the dining hall for a cup of coffee and something for your head?"

The question swam through Holly's mind as if struggling through water and her answer was very late in coming. "…Yea…I feel like I got hit by a troll." Holly looked up, and the confused expression on the blonde's face told her she'd said something she 'ought not have. "I mean…train…I feel like I got hit by a train." Holly forced an innocent smile and the maid shrugged, passing the troll comment off as the hang-over talking.

"Follow me." Said the maid and she made her way out of the room and down the hall. "By the way, I'm Juliet." She did not turn around to look at Holly, just stated it as if no one really cared.

Running, or rather, stumbling, up to Juliet's side, Holly blinked several times in disbelief. Juliet looked very different. Though now Holly recognized her as the spunky, wrestling, teen she'd got on so well with. Holly was amused that she hadn't recognized her at first. "Holly Short." She extended her hand to Juliet a pang of sadness hitting her heart through all the pain in her cranium. 'She doesn't remember me either….' They shook hands and Juliet smiled gently.

"We'll fix that hang-over right up, Miss Short."

* * *

**Fowl Manor, Dining Hall, 2:30pm**

Holly Short drank deeply from the mug of strong black coffee Juliet had given her, burning her tongue as she swallowed the scalding liquid. "Thanks..." she gasped after finishing off her third cup. "My head feels much better…"

Everything from the night before was beginning to come back to Holly, and she wished it wasn't. She had practically been flirting with him, what was she thinking? But what is done is done and cannot be erased. That's what Root always told her. Holly looked up at Juliet who was busy wiping counters and cleaning the coffee pot so she could make a fresh batch for Artemis. "Holly."

Juliet looked up and lifted an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Call me Holly…none of that 'Miss Short' stuff. No need to be formal with me." Holly smiled a sweet smile and swallowed another Advil.

Juliet beamed and her blue eyes brightened significantly. "Alright Miss Sho…I mean, Holly."

Several minutes passed in silence, as Holly relished the feeling of her hang-over dissipating.

"Juliet? Did you awaken Holly as I asked?" Artemis came strolling into the dining hall, his eyes hidden behind a large book.

"Yes Master Artemis, she's right here."

Artemis looked up from his book and grinned. "Ah very good. How are you feeling this morning Holly? I thought perhaps you'd gone comatose in your sleep."

Holly caught the air of amusement in his voice and felt her temper flare up. "I'm fine, Fowl, just a tad too much to drink last night I suppose." She bit her tongue against saying any of the things she wished to say. 'I'll save them for when he remembers…if he remembers.'

"Well now, temper, temper. No need to bite my head off, I was merely concerned." He smirked, showing a single fang like tooth.

Juliet brought over a cup of coffee and a tray of assorted breakfast foods, setting the tray between them. She then scurried off, with a fleeting look of "good luck" to Holly.

Taking a bit out of a particularly delicious looking pastry, Artemis set down his book and looked over at Holly. "I believe that after breakfast, you and I should retire to my study to lay down the foundation of our partnership."

Holly thought she heard a slightly suggestive tone in Artemis' voice, but ignored it. Telling herself it was only because his voice had deepened and scolding the little voice that kept teasing her with knowledge of emotions she could not possibly harbor for the mud boy next to her. "Fine with me." She said with some difficulty and took a rather vicious bite out of a glazed donut.

**Artemis' Study, 3:27pm**

Artemis sat himself in one of the large squishy armchairs, his sapphire eyes fixed on Holly as she took a seat in the opposing arm chair. "I think we should start with a demonstration." He said smugly. "Do whatever tricks you think will impress me most."

Holly raised a skeptical eyebrow at him and put her finger to her lips, thinking. 'Hmmmm I could levitate him…nah that's too obviously real magic…' She pondered a tad longer before, smirking to herself. "Alright…close your eyes."

Artemis furrowed his brow, annoyed at this command but did as he was told. Holly got up and walked past him, gathering up a few books that looked important. As she returned to her seat, Holly found herself tempted to reach out and brush her fingers through the tousled raven locks. 'No.' she thought firmly.

Taking her seat, Holly squashed her fingers beneath the books as if to teach them a lesson about tempting her. "Alright." She said extracting her fingers from beneath the large novels.

Artemis opened his eyes and watched Holly with well trained eyes, trying to spot the slight of hand she was bound to use…but it never came. Holly ran her fingers over one of the many books then lifted her hand straight up, taking the book with her; it appeared to have glued itself to her hand. The next book, Holly opened and proceeded to turn the pages by snapping her fingers idly.

Artemis leaned forward slightly watching with the smallest hints of fascination in his eyes.

Several minutes later, and many more books later, Holly was yawning with exhaustion. She'd never used this much magic in one sitting on anything other than healing. Artemis nodded and stood; taking the book she was currently causing to bob up and down in the air and setting it next to a computer. "That will do Holly; you have proven yourself to be just what I am looking for."

Holly smiled and got up as well. Artemis turned toward Holly and reached behind her pointed ear, pulling out a folded piece of paper. "If you'll just sign this, we'll have a full partnership." Holly rolled her eyes at his petty trick and tried not to giggle as she signed the paper. "Very good, very good." He extended his hand to her and she took it, shaking it slowly, unable to resist a smile as his eyes met hers. A spark of blue escaped her fingers as her heart skipped a beat. She'd missed those eyes.

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**A/N**: Next chapter is in the making, review!


	6. Magical Mishaps

**A/N**: w0000 6th chappy? Whatever doesn't really matter it's the next one so there. Started off with a little filler since I skipped two months…no you crazy people I'm not going to mindlessly cover two months…that takes too much thought and mini plots I could use in other fics. It's sorta from Juliet's pov kinda, anyway, on with the fic. Remember your reviews make me write and release faster. :Loves bribery: ADDED TOO!

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**Fowl Manor, Approximately 2 month later**

* * *

'Two months…wow that's a long time…well not really that long.' Juliet lay on the floor of a medium sized room, watching the huge T.V. with mild interest as she had already seen this match three times. She was rather preoccupied with thinking as she often did these days, about the odd changes Holly had caused in the occupants of Fowl Manor. 'She really has been a boost to me. Artemis had become so cold after that morning. But with Holly here…well she seems to have thawed out Master Fowl. He doesn't even make me call him Master Fowl anymore…its more like old times, before the morning we all woke up with headaches. Butler is more relaxed…not sure why, he just seems more at ease with Holly around, like he trusts her to protect Artemis.' She smiled slightly, relieved that her brother was a bit calmer, he was getting on in age and needed to slow down a tad. 'Artemis has changed the most…that's for sure. He's nicer; though he tries to hide it…he likes her. I can see it in his eyes when he looks at her.' Juliet snickered to herself, she'd been hoping for the past month that Holly and Artemis would get together, but they seemed too stubborn. 'Ah well…just seeing Artemis happy for the first time in ages is enough.' She rolled over onto her back watching the match upside down, still grinning in hopes that Holly would make a move, since god knows Artemis never would.

* * *

The weeks had passed quickly to Holly, but at least they were no longer boring. Most every day her and Artemis would work on acts or just in general on tricks. Holly knew eventually Artemis would take her along on an "act" but she had pushed the idea to the back of her mind. Still unsure if she'd really be able to go against all her training, and steal something.

They'd done a few shows together now, Holly playing assistant most of the time, but she did get to show him up occasionally. Annoying Artemis always put her in a good mood. Foiling his theft of a few watches and necklaces made her all warm and fuzzy inside. The way he scrunched up his nose when she did something particularly testing of his nerves, made her just want to faint. And his glares, no matter how evil, made her knees shake. Plus she'd formed a rather close bond with Artemis' white dove. She had been slightly shocked, and flattered to find that the bird shared her name, convinced it was Artemis' subconscious memory of her that gave him the name.

Holly had taught Artemis several little things to improve his already amazing skills, and she too had picked up on slight of hand, so as to conserve her magic a bit. She had been neglecting the ritual yet again and often found herself wiped after a magic session with Artemis. She was always trying to get him to end the session early so she wouldn't slip up and allow a blue spark to escape like during her demonstration. (She'd convinced herself that the spark was because she was tired, not because of him) Lucky he hadn't noticed that one.

"Juliet?" Holly's elfin head appeared at the door of Juliet's room.

"Yea?" Juliet didn't even bother to tear her eyes away from the grudge match she was watching on the huge T.V.

"Where's Artemis…have you seen him? I've looked all over and can't find that pasty-face mud…err…I mean…" Holly didn't get to finish her sentence as Juliet began to giggle and roll around on the floor, eyes watering.

"He…he….he's up in…the…in the study…third floor…" Juliet barely managed not to choke as she giggled out the words. Holly chuckled and left with a quick thanks. "Pasty…pasty-face." Juliet's giggles could be heard all the way up on the second floor.

**Artemis' third floor study, 5:43pm**

Holly's hooked nose poked into yet another room, relieved that this one was the study and not another empty, lonely bedroom. Artemis sat at a computer, his eyes glued to the screen, staring intently at the mass of random numbers and meaningless gibberish that was flashing on the screen. Holly rolled her hazel eyes as she silently snuck up behind him, trying to figure out what he was reading, but it was moving too fast for even fairy eyes to make sense of. Shrugging, Holly flung her arms around Artemis' neck and squealed an ear splitting hello. 'Oh how I do enjoy frustrating him!'

Artemis stiffened, his lightning fast fingers unmoving, some up ready to come down on another key, others depressing keys causing certain letters, numbers, and symbols to repeat themselves over and over again on the blue screen. His mouth formed inaudible words as his mind struggled to re-boot.

Holly grinned ear to ear, giggling slightly and letting go of him. "What's the matter Fowl? Cat got your tongue?" She put her face between Artemis' and the computer screen, giving him her best smug "I win" look.

Artemis Fowl blinked and shook his head, replacing the shocked, stupid look on his face with one of apathy. "No. And I should thank you not to surprise me like that; now I'll have to re-boot this whole system and reconfigure it…it'll take at least three hours." He glared at her in the most malicious way he could, but it had no effect, seeing as Holly merely stuck her tongue out at him.

"So what were you working on?" Holly asked without the slightest hint of really caring.

Artemis turned his attention away from the computer and spun around in his chair to face Holly, who had moved to a chair in the middle of the study. "None of your business, Miss Short." He stated sharply, getting up and taking a seat next to her. "Though now that your here I suppose I should tell you of tonight's show."

Holly tilted her head, looking at him, her brow furrowed. "What show?" In the pit of her stomach Holly knew what he meant, but part of her wouldn't believe it till she heard it said.

"We've been partners for the better part of two months now and I trust you enough to let you accompany me on a more interesting magic show then the ones you are accustomed to." He smiled wickedly and Holly couldn't suppress a shiver. "So, tonight you and I, along with Butler, will be taking a short trip to a private residence to relieve it of a priceless painting that is rightfully mine."

Holly just couldn't stop herself. "Rightfully yours? You think everything is rightfully yours! What gives you the right to steal someone else's painting!"

Through this outburst Artemis remained cool and collected his fingers steepled. "Are you quite finished?" He asked when Holly had huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Now as I was saying. This painting is rightfully mine, because, it was stolen a week ago from a museum in London..." Holly opened her mouth like she was going to say something but Artemis raised his voice slightly and cut across her. "That I bought. Therefore, the painting was technically stolen from me, and is rightfully mine to steal back."

Holly pursed her lips in agitation at his attitude but admittedly couldn't find a reason why it wasn't Artemis' right to steal back the painting. "Alright…so what's the plan?"

Over the next hour, Artemis laid down, in great detail, the plan for infiltrating the residence and taking the painting back. Making sure to quell her worries over not having an invitation to enter the house. Artemis had found a small loop hole in the fairy rule, being the smart guy he was. He said that because the room where the painting hangs, is technically an addition, and uninhabited except by dust and art work, it isn't technically not part of the house, but rather a mini museum that the owner attached to his place of residence. The only catch was that Holly could not enter the museum part through the house, but Artemis had already decided they weren't going in the front door. After thoroughly convincing Holly that his logic was correct, he told her what she would be doing to help. To her surprise Holly was granted the most important job of laying the vital mirror and snatching the piece of art. It appeared Artemis really did trust her a great deal. However, Holly felt a familiar ache in her heart at the fact that he seemed to trust her more now, then when he actually knew who she was. It seemed that lately Holly had been suffering from almost constant heart burn…anytime she thought about Artemis, or was around him, she felt some degree of heartache. Though she didn't know that Artemis suffered from a similar disability. Holly awoke odd feelings in him. Feelings of loss and confusion, but also feelings of completion. It was a strange phenomenon, which Artemis vowed to research after completing tonight's criminal act.

**Fowl SUV, 9:00pm**

Artemis looked over at Holly, a small smile itching to break onto his lips as her face was illuminated by the street lamps as they passed. She was holding his dove and speaking in whispers to it, her beautiful hazel eyes holding the highest respect for the gentle and intelligent creature. 'She really is very pretty…' he thought absently.

"Artemis, we're approaching the residence." Butler looked back at his pupil through the rearview mirror and caught him starring at Holly, he grinned slightly.

Artemis snapped from his daze with a cough and checked his pocket watch. On time as always. "Thank you Butler, you know the plan, drop me and Holly and park out of site."

"Yes sir."

Artemis once again looked over at Holly who had placed the dove on her shoulder and was watching him intently, waiting for her orders.

"Don't be nervous Holly, you'll do fine." He winked at her and opened his door, walking around to her side and letting her out. Holly gaped at him, and then glared daggers.

"I am not nervous."

"Suit yourself, but it helps, gets the adrenaline pumping."

Damn him…he'd done it again. Out-smarted her. Jerk.

They made their way up to the front door of the large, strike that, huge house, Holly cooed softly and Artemis shhh-ed her. "Pet her Holly…she'll calm down." Holly obeyed and soon the bird was snuggling serenely against her neck.

Finally after countless minutes of placing mirrors and moving things around with levitation and sending Holly (the dove) to fetch small objects and place them where necessary, Holly and Artemis had gotten in and found themselves in a vast, immaculate museum like room with art work all over the walls. Artemis didn't doubt that most, if not all of them, were stolen pieces and had to use a good deal of self control to keep from just stealing them all.

Holly was stiff as a board, being strapped to Artemis' stomach did that to you. They'd rigged up a complex pulley system to suspend them over the pressure sensitive floor and were now slowly lowering themselves closer to the prize. Artemis' face stayed stone cold and his body ridged, his cheeks a gentle pink. 'Thank the gods she can't see my face…' he thought as they reached the right height and he pulled out the final mirror, handing it down to Holly with sweaty palms. She took it carefully and positioned it so the cameras would be looking at a reflected, identical white wall. Fatal flaw of most museums.

Slowly, with clammy, shaking hands, Holly reached out and grasped the painting, careful not to touch anything but the frame. Artemis hissed in her ear that they needed to hurry, but that proved to be a bad idea. Alarmed by the hiss of warm air in her ear Holly jolted, knocking the mirror out of place so the camera eye saw them. Alarms blared and that caused the most catastrophic mishap, Holly dropped the painting.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion to Artemis, he saw the painting dropping to the ground, the alarms ringing in his ears. He heard Holly let out a panicked birdie screech and flutter out to the SUV…at least he hoped that's where she went. Then everything froze.

The painting hung in mid-air. The alarms had ceased to scream, everything but himself and Holly seemed to have stopped, even a fly hung, suspended a few inches from his hand.

He looked down to see Holly, her eyes starring at him, a great deal of concentration on her face, a bead of sweat slipped off her nose and froze as soon as it left her nut-brown skin. "What…?" Artemis was so confused; his head hurt and flashes of light…memories? were running through his head.

Holly looked at him with what appeared to be fear and determination in her eyes. "Get us out of here mud boy, don't just gawk."

'Mud boy?' Artemis' mind just wasn't working right now…he continued to stare open mouthed at Holly like he too was frozen.

"Artemis seriously! We can do the whole 'Oh my god she's a fairy' thing once we're safe in the car! You're a genius, Snap. Out. Of. It!" Holly yelled feeling the magic slowly drain from her already low supply. Freezing time wasn't easy for a single, non-warlock, fairy; it took a ton of magic…which because of her neglectful attitude toward the ritual, Holly, just didn't have.

Artemis' mind ticked a few more times uselessly before catching again and starting up. "Uhh…right!" He said for no real reason but to assure himself his brain was working. Artemis grabbed a hold of the main rope in the pulley system and tugged hard, thinking it too would be frozen, but finding that it wasn't. He hoisted them up and back onto the roof, running as fast as he could, grabbing mirrors and other assorted items they'd planted while getting in. 'No need to get caught through finger prints.' He thought, though he doubted any finger prints could be gotten from HIS items. Holly had passed out as soon as they were on the roof, the time stop no longer necessary. Her magic so depleted she wouldn't even be able to use the _mesmer_ if need be; she hung limp, strapped to Artemis' chest. 'Lucky she still weighs almost nothing, no matter how tall she's gotten.'

Artemis, high on adrenaline, jumped off the roof and landed with what would be a bone crunching crash if it weren't for Butler catching him by the pulley vest and minimizing his impact. Artemis jumped into the SUV and Butler took off at well over the speed limit, driving in the total opposite direction of Fowl Manor. Better to take the long way.

* * *

**Fowl Manor, Next day, noon**

Holly Short lay asleep on Artemis' bed, sweat beading her abnormally pale skin. She'd been out for a good 24 hours and Artemis had not left her side, except to get fresh water and a new washcloth for her head. She hadn't stirred and Artemis hoped against hope she was just in a deep sleep to conserve any magic she may have left. He hadn't dared to move her yet for fear he may do more harm then good, and so had sent Juliet to fetch an acorn and a pot of fresh dirt; he'd given her the coordinates of the spot where he'd kidnapped Holly several years ago. As he sat by Holly's side Artemis had concentrated on remembering everything the fairies had made him forget.

With this new knowledge, or rather old knowledge back in its rightful place, Artemis had realized why Holly had been so talented with magic…it was real. She'd tricked him…the sneaky little… 'But she's amazing.' He could certainly forgive her for tricking him, after all, anyone who managed to trick Artemis Fowl was well worthy of his affections, or at the very least, respect, which Holly already had.

"Artemis?" Juliet's blonde hair and concerned face appeared at the door. Clutched in one hand was an acorn and in the other a pot with fresh from the Fowl garden soil.

"Come in Juliet, give me the acorn and set the pot on the bed here." He motioned to a spot between him and Holly and took the acorn cautiously. Juliet sat the pot down and stared at Holly. When her brother had returned the previous night he'd filled her in on what Artemis told him about Holly being a fairy. She remembered most everything now and was equally worried about her friend.

"Will she be ok Artemis?"

Artemis put the acorn gently into Holly's hand and closed her fingers around it. "I'm sure after she completes the ritual with my help she'll be fine Juliet." He said emotionlessly, his face unreadable. 'I'm sure…. I hope.' Holding Holly's hand softly in his own, Artemis pushed his fist deep into the soil of the pot and made Holly release the acorn. Pulling his hand out, Artemis watched with baited breath as tiny blue sparks danced up her arm and swarmed over her body.

Holly made an almost inaudible noise and scrunched up her face in discomfort. That was all Artemis needed, he let out a breath he'd been holding for what seemed like hours and let a genuine smile grace his features. "She's ok." He said to himself. Juliet was crying/laughing, on her knees and Butler had appeared at the door, a smile on his face too.

Holly cracked open an eye and Artemis' face swam into view, slightly fuzzy till she opened her other eye and let it adjust. She smirked only a little bit and spoke in a hoarse but humorous voice. "Stay back human. You don't know what you're dealing with."

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**A/N**:titters: I like that ending to this chapter, I'm so sly. Next chapter coming sometime soon. Hope you enjoy this random dribble.


	7. Illusions of the Heart

A/N: Another chapter that I cut into two, now we're up to ten...crazy. Little surprise at the end, make sure to read the A/Ns

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**Fowl Manor, Artemis' Room, around noon**

Artemis Fowl starred blankly for a moment or two, and then a very unusual thing happened. He laughed and not an evil "I've just taken over the world and outsmarted you" laugh a normal amused, happy, laugh. This strange occurrence continued for a good five minutes, Juliet, Holly and Butler all looking on in shock. Then, as quickly as it had come on, it stopped and Artemis wiped a laughter induced tear from his cheek. He looked at Holly, coldly for a moment before a wide grin cracked his face and he responded to her humorous threat.

"I believe, fairy, that you are the one unfamiliar with the facts."

Butler mumbled something about quoting their first meeting to Juliet, which caused her to squeal in girlish delight interrupting the moment by introducing the others back into Artemis and Holly's little fantasy world. Artemis flushed and Holly ducked under the covers awkwardly with a loud fake cough.

Butler grabbed Juliet's arm and pulled her to the door. "We'll be downstairs Artemis." Artemis nodded, his eyes giving a silent thank you to his dear friend. Holly peeked out from under the covers, her face still rather red.

They sat in awkward silence for a while before Artemis got up the nerve to break it. "Why didn't you give my memories back when we met in the club?"

Holly looked at him a bit puzzled. She hadn't expected him to ask that. "Well…I guess, I sorta wanted you to remember me on your own. And…maybe I was a little scared of what would happen…if you remembered."

Artemis nodded and looked out through the large glass sliding doors that led to his balcony. Another awkward silence swallowed them up and this time Holly broke it.

"Are you alright Artemis? I mean…I passed out once we reached the roof…so I don't know what happened."

Artemis' gaze returned and he smiled softly. "I jumped off the roof. That's about all you really missed."

Holly's eyes widened. "You jumped off the roof! Are you ok, you could have killed yourself?"

Artemis chuckled at her concern and shock and shook his head. "I'm ok Hol. Well, my knees are a tad…well; they're as close to being blown as you can get without actually having them blown. I can't walk more than a few feet at a time, another reason for me not leaving your bedside much."

Holly grimaced and put her hands on Artemis' knees, ready to heal them. "Stupid mud boy…" She grumbled, hiding her smile.

"No, no Holly, leave it. I'll be fine, besides this is your big break. Without me able to walk, you have the spot light for our show in two days."

"Nonsense Artemis, I'm healing you now and you're going to help me with this show. It's our biggest gig and…" she hated having to admit this "I need you." She put her hands lightly on his knees and little blue sparks leapt from her fingers and sunk into Artemis' knees healing the damaged and torn muscles and tendons. "There."

Artemis stood up, shook out his legs and crossed his arms over his chest. "Alright then, we leave tomorrow, Vegas is a long way away." With that he turned and left Holly with her thoughts.

* * *

"**Tomorrow", 6:00am**

Artemis yawned and opened his eyes. It was strange waking up in one of the guest rooms, knowing a fairy was sleeping in your bed. It was ungodly early but their flight left at 8:00 so getting up early was a must.

Artemis heaved himself out of bed and got a quick shower. His hair still wet, and a white towel wrapped around his waist Artemis made his way to his room and opened the door without bothering to knock. He looked over at the bed and saw Holly askew on top of the blankets, her slightly grown out hair messy and a bit of drool forming a wet spot on her hand, which was under her head like a pillow. He smiled and shook his head, getting out a suit and dressing quickly, leaving his hair to air dry.

Holly grumbled a few times in her sleep and rolled over onto her back, as Artemis made his way quietly over to the bed. He gathered up a handful of raven black hair and rung it out, the semi-cold water hitting Holly in the face. She sputtered and screamed, sitting bolt up-right, fists flying. Artemis laughed again and grabbed her hands to keep them from finding his face. "Don't kill your host Holly."

"Artemis you jerk, couldn't you have been a bit nicer about waking me?" She glared over her shoulder at him, wiping water from her forehead.

"So you would prefer I wake you like sleeping beauty?" Artemis cocked his head to one side, truly curious about her answer.

Holly blushed furiously and looked away. "No. I just meant you didn't have to ring your wet hair out on my face. Jerk." She added the jerk for good measure.

Artemis looked slightly disappointed and stood leaving the room quickly. "Get ready, we leave in an hour."

"Artemis…" Holly turned around and looked at the door.

* * *

**Flight 307 to Las Vegas, Nevada**

_Flight 307, to Las Vegas, Nevada is now boarding, please file into an orderly line and have your tickets ready, thank you and enjoy your flight. _

Artemis and Holly filed into the front of the line and made their way to first class, taking their seats, Holly at the window, Artemis at the aisle. Artemis looked over at Holly, who had been very quiet since they'd reached the airport and was now pale as a sheet. "Holly? Are you afraid of flying?"

She snapped out of her daze at the sound of her name and locked eyes with Artemis. "No. I flew the shuttles all the time, why would I be afraid of flying in this…what did you call it? An airplane?"

Artemis was not at all convinced. "I think you're scared. Don't be ashamed, everyone is a little nervous their first time on a plane. Even an experienced pilot like yourself." He added hastily at the killing look in her eyes. "You controlled the shuttles; it's understandable to be nervous about flying when someone else is in control."

Holly pondered this idea and accepted it. "Fine…I'm nervous because I'm not the one flying this contraption. But I'm not scared."

"Fair enough."

As the plane started up Holly jumped and grabbed Artemis' hand, holding it tightly until lift off had past and they were steadily flying through the air. Artemis was starring from Holly's petrified face to their interlocked hands, his stomach doing more flips then normal for take off. "Erm…Hols?"

Holly looked over at him again, her face returning to its normal color and her grip loosening. 'Wait…grip loosening.' Holly's eyes followed Artemis' and found her fingers tightly interlocked with his, she blushed and pulled her hand away, thrusting it into her lap with the other and looking out the window at the puffy clouds. "Sorry." She mumbled quietly.

"It's fine." He mumbled back.

The rest of the flight was spent in relative silence, Artemis reading and doing minor tricks that he needed to brush up on, while Holly listened to some human rock music and stared out the window. 'Flying is boring the mud man way.' She sighed and saw a few sea birds far off in the distance. "Artemis…where's Holly?" He looked up from his book and pointed down.

"She's in the pet compartment…despite my influence and money they wouldn't allow me to have her up here. They say birds, no matter how well trained, can't be trusted un-caged, and her cage would take up a whole seat, which they won't sell to a bird, if the other buyer of the seat is human." He looked sour and glared at an innocent stewardess.

Holly frowned and thought that was unfair, Artemis would pay full adult ticket for his bird…what's the difference? "Oh." Was all she could say though.

The flight drug on and on, Artemis' nose buried in a book, Holly fighting sleep. She was tired, even with her magic back she was still slightly wiped. As the hours past, Holly found it harder and harder to keep her head up and her eyes awake. Finally, she gave up and dozed off, the ever spiteful gravity, causing her slight lean toward Artemis to turn into her head resting on his shoulder.

He froze at first, but realizing she was asleep Artemis relaxed, letting a gentle smile pull the corners of his lips up. The flight lasted another hour and a half, Holly slept soundly on his shoulder the entire time.

When the captain announced that they would be landing soon, Artemis awoke Holly and offered his hand to her a smug grin on his face.

"Jerk."

* * *

**A/N**: I'm gunna leave it there, it should be understood that they got a hotel and blah blah blah. Now on to more important matters. I have a little experiment here, read it and tell me if you'd like to see the rest of it. Ask any questions you'd like, especially if you're unsure what her knew job is going to be. Look up the lyrics to Billy Talent's Standing in the Rain before asking about her new job though, it might help you realize. Yea…Ja ne.

**Summary**: Oh Pretty Baby…how could you? Standing in the Rain…even the strongest lose their way.

**A/N**: Well, while listening to all of my amazing Billy Talent, the song Standing in the Rain started playing and low and behold a plot bunny hopped into my head. Now I know this is a totally crazy idea, and massively OOC, BUT I thought I'd try the first chapter out on you guys, tell me if you'd like to see the rest. Who knows it might pluck your fancy, or interest. Thanks to me-obviously for catching my mix up of Cudgeon and Sool...:hates them both:

* * *

**Rain Drops for Tears**

****

_Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock_. On and on, just _tick, tock, tick, tock_. The clock's hands moved slowly around its lifeless face, the sands of time slipping through their fingers.

"This….is useless. I'm out." Mulch Diggums stretched and got up, leaving through the door of the Short and Diggums P.I. business.

* * *

He left with good reason too. The biz had tanked, and wasting the days away hungry and bored just wasn't appealing. Lucky Mulch had somewhere to go though, he could go back to crime, build up his cash, get an apartment, and he'd be all good. However his partner wasn't nearly as lucky.

Ex- LEP captain Holly Short had no family, no job and no where to go. Her home had become the P.I. business, she slept on the same couch that her would be clients sat on. But…she never had any clients. At least having Mulch for company had made dealing with her failing business livable…but now he was gone too. She didn't blame him, never would, she blamed herself. Holly couldn't go back to the LEP she knew that, her father figure was dead and she just refused to give in and work for Sool.

'But what do I do now?' That's the question she was always asking herself. Holly's stomach growled all the time, she couldn't find another job…no one would hire an ex- LEPrecon jock, especially with her record of…going against orders. Money…well that had become a foreign substance to Holly and she wouldn't ask for help. Too stubborn.

Holly refused to contact Foaly, or Trouble, or even Chix, she just wouldn't admit that she'd messed up. And she certainly wasn't going to ask Fowl for help. So that must be where the story really starts, with Holly's new job. God help her.

"_Even the strongest lose their way sometimes."_


	8. Alakazam

**A/N**: OK! Finally the long awaited…HALF CLIMAX mwuahahahahah I'm soooo evil. No but really I promise I'm done torturing you…almost. I'm really still massively unsure about Rain Drops for Tears, I'm gunna need some more opinions. I do believe that we only have…eh 2 chapters left? I don't know…short term memory loss, have fun.

Wait! No! First! I got nit picked, soooo I have to retaliate!

**Identitycrisis**: I'll let you get away with nit picking my ritual, though I must admit, I don't remember that rule. However, I must smush your hit against Holly entering without permission :flash from the past: Chapter 4 You Put A Spell On Me: _Holly followed Artemis to the car and seated herself next to him as he motioned for her to do. "We can drop you off at your residence if you'd like. However as my partner, I extend an invitation to stay at the Manor to you." _

If a call for help can be considered an invite that certainly can. She can't very well stay there if she doesn't enter, plus he said he'd show her to her room. :felt need to back up with more evidence: so in conclusion, ritual mebe, enter w/o permission no.

* * *

**Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada**

"For the last time, it was the only hotel with an available room Holly; don't be all huffy just because of the hotel's name…and the fact that they called you my wife…and the box of… 'items' in the dresser drawer…and the one bed per room policy…" Artemis stopped talking as Holly's face turned a color to rival Commander Root.

"That was by far the worst night of my entire life! Artemis are you aware that you roll, A LOT?" She screeched at him. Artemis swore he saw steam blow out of her cute pointed ears.

"I do not!"

"Well you did last night. I woke up at least THREE times being crushed by your big, stupid, mud man body!" Her face turned red again, but not out of anger.

"Well…….." Artemis didn't know how to respond to that…after all he'd never slept with anyone before. So…he made something up. "Well you snore!"

Holly looked outraged and turned fire in her eyes, toward Artemis. "I DO NOT!"

"Umm…Sir, Miss?" The poor petrified cab driver interjected. "We've arrived. Your fare is $12.06…please."

Artemis rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a Franklin, handing it to the man and getting out in what would be classified as a "dignified rage". Holly went to follow but in a horrendous act of male jerkiness, Artemis slammed the door in her face.

"Bastard." She opened the door and stormed past him, making sure to elbow him hard in the side as she marched up the steps to the large, lit-up building towering before them. Holly made sure to over-exaggerate the swing of her hips as she walked through the fountain display, mist clinging to her hair.

Artemis bore holes into the back of her head the whole way to their dressing room. "I hate girls."

* * *

**Dressing Room, 20 mins to show**

A lady with pink hair and cat-like eyes knocked on the door to Holly and Artemis' dressing room and called the 20 minute warning. They were to be the opening act for Sigmund and Freud, a popular Vegas act according to the hype.

Artemis looked through his bags and pulled out one manila folder. He had asked Juliet to pick the theme for their act since she knew more about American culture, having spent a year there wrestling. This would prove to be a bit of a mistake, well…sort of.

"Holly come over here and stop pouting." Artemis called over his shoulder as he opened the envelope.

Holly came over and smacked him in the back of the head, sitting down casually. "I'm not pouting."

"Sure." Mumbled Artemis. He pulled out the paper in the envelope and laid it down on the table. His eyes widened as he read it through. "I…I'll kill her."

Holly leaned in and looked at the paper. "Tell me this is a joke Artemis…she can't be serious."

The note read simply:

_Hey Guys! _

_Well, since I'm the American culture expert I feel it's my need to introduce the cold, hard truth…and here it is. _

_**Sex Sells**_

_So my idea for the act is simply this: Flirt _

_Juliet _

_Ps. have fun you two, oh and I picked out the songs your act will be too_

_First: Holly will be the main magician her song will be Do You Believe in Magic  
__Second: Artemis this will be your turn to try to out-due Holly, you song is Superstition  
__Last: You will both really kick up the flirtation to the song Abracadabra _

Artemis crumpled up the piece of paper and threw it over his shoulder, looking forlornly at the CD; he slumped down into a chair. "How are we going to come up with a whole new act in" He checked his watch "ten minutes."

Holly fiddled with the hem of her royal purple, knee high, dress. "I guess we'll just have to do her act." Her cheeks turned rosy for what must have been the billionth time since last night. "We don't have much of a choice…"

Artemis sighed and loosened his tie. "Yea…alright. We're smart we can get through this right? And, on the upside, if Juliet is right, our act should be a big hit."

Holly nodded just as the pink haired lady opened the door and told them they had to be on stage in 3 minutes. Artemis grabbed Holly's cage and one side of his trunk, Holly grabbed the other side, and they walked to the side stage.

"So…what's the plan Artemis?" Holly looked at him anxiously as the curtain rose and they were being announced.

Artemis glanced over at her, shrugged and winked. "Wing it, I guess." Then he walked out on stage, followed closely by a slightly nervous Holly.

* * *

The crowd roared with applause, the tink of glasses could be heard all around the room as people did shots before the act started. The announcer shook Artemis' hand and kissed Holly's then exited quickly.

Artemis took Holly's hand and bowed, pulling a scarf out of his pocket and setting it over their hands. "Hello and welcome." He said like always and yanked the scarf off; releasing Holly's hand as her namesake dove came fluttering out. Holly settled onto Artemis' shoulder and the music started up, Holly taking center stage by pushing Artemis to the side.

'You can do this Holly, just have fun…don't think so much.' She brought her hands up to chest level and clapped them together, when she pulled them apart, marbles were orbiting around a tiny silver hoop. She grinned over at Artemis and he visibly glared back, walking over and behind her, putting his hands on hers. Holly stiffened and blushed, the marbles spinning faster as Artemis pushed her hands back together. He made a movement that to the audience would look like he kissed her neck and whispered quickly in her ear "Make them disappear, and loosen up." Holly did as he said and he let go of her, the marbles gone, but not the hoop.

'Loosen up eh? You got it.' She smirked and levitated the hoop up above her head, stretching it out and making it hover over Artemis. The crowd oohed and ahhed as she brought the hoop down over Artemis and tightened it so he couldn't move his arms. She walked over seductively and walked right past him, her hand trailing across his cheek, making his gaze follow her around in a circle. Artemis had to mentally admit, Holly was a good actress.

Holly walked a ways away from Artemis and turned around winking at him; she pulled out a deck of cards and made them fly everywhere. 52 card pick up it looked like, but Holly waved her hands over them and they started orbiting Artemis, he tried to walk out of them, but they followed and Holly giggled.

The music that designated Holly's act drawled to a close and she clearly pouted, calling the cards back and making them disappear, to later be found in the pockets of some lucky people in the crowd. Artemis smiled as she came over and lifted the hoop off him, pretending to kiss his cheek quickly.

The next song started up and Artemis was quick to drag out his trunk and take out a few random items. Holly watched, tapping her foot and yawning, making the crowd laugh. Artemis took her hand and twirled her around into his arms, smiling his vampire smile. His hand slipping down and resting on Holly's rear, which earned him a nice red hand print on his cheek. 'At least it amused the crowd.' Holly glared and Artemis shrugged, helping her into the trunk. Holly lay down and Artemis closed the trunk and locked it, he then sat on it and pretended to file his nails. The crowed once again roared with laughter and applause as Holly pounded on the trunk, making Artemis bounce up and down.

A few seconds and the pounding stopped, Artemis got up looking confused and opened the trunk; Holly wasn't there. He showed the empty trunk to the audience and they gasped. While Artemis looked around the stage, throwing swords and other things that hovered in mid-air and danced around as if they were alive, the crowd began to titter with giggles and whispers.

Holly turned toward the stage and put her fingers to her lips as she snuck up behind Artemis and pinched his bum, immediately disappearing. Artemis spun around and shrugged, the audience laughing as Holly appeared behind him and began to mock him. 'This is rather fun' she thought, biting her lip to keep from giggling.

Artemis' music came to an end too and Holly sulked, disappearing and reappearing above Artemis' head. He looked up and laughed. He pointed to the ground and she got down, crossing her arms over her chest. The last song started up. 'This is the finale, got to step it up.' They both thought.

I heat up, I can't cool down

My situation goes 'round and 'round

'Round and 'round and 'round it goes

Where it stops nobody knows

Every time you call my name

I heat up like a burnin' flame

Burnin' flame full of desire

Kiss me baby, let the fire get higher

Abra-abra-cadabra

I want to reach out and grab ya

Abra-abra-cadabra

Abracadabra

Holly turned toward Artemis, a sultry look in her eyes. Artemis went to seize her but a wall of flame sprung up between them, Holly's doing. Artemis looked hurt and tried to make his own wall of fire but only managed to get a small flame to appear on the tip of his finger. Holly snickered and the crowd applauded, at least the female half of the crowd. This was turning into more of girls vs. guys, than flirtation. Oh well.

You make me hot, you make me sigh

You make me laugh, you make me cry

Keep me burnin' for your love

With the touch of a velvet glove

Abra-abra-cadabra

I want to reach out and grab ya

Abra-abra-cadabra

Abracadabra

I feel the magic in your caress

I feel magic when I touch your dress

Silk and satin, leather and lace

Black panties with an angel's face

Artemis doused the flames with water that came magically out of his ear and grabbed Holly 'round the waist, pulling her close. Artemis spoke the word abracadabra loudly and made Holly disappear. He then made flames appear in his palms like a goblin and out of the flames flew two white doves. One appeared to explode over the crowd raining confetti; the other perched on the shoulder not occupied by Holly, and nuzzled his neck.

I see magic in your eyes

I hear the magic in your sighs

Just when I think I'm gonna get away

I hear those words that you always say

Abra-abra-cadabra

I want to reach out and grab ya

Abra-abra-cadabra

Abracadabra

Every time you call my name

I heat up like a burnin' flame

Burnin' flame full of desire

Kiss me baby, let the fire get higher

Artemis snapped his fingers and the dove nuzzling him turned into his auburn haired partner, spitting feathers and looking annoyed. 'Now for the final trick.' Artemis and Holly separated to opposite sides of the stage, a back curtain rising as they took their places. Behind the curtain was a huge cage and in the cage were Sigmund and Freud's white tigers. The crowed was awe struck, how could these two amateurs get permission to use the famous tigers?

I heat up, I can't cool down

My situation goes 'round and 'round

I heat up, I can't cool down

My situation goes 'round and 'round

I heat up, I can't cool down

My situation goes 'round and 'round

Holly and Artemis raised their arms and just as the music ended, a loud bang and a flash of light blinded the spectators. When the flash subsided, Holly and Artemis were center stage, hand in hand. They bowed quickly and ran off-stage, two stripped kittens left in their place. The crowed went crazy and Holly drug Artemis back out for a second bow.

The viewers whistled and yelled and cheered, throwing flowers and coins on stage which Artemis and Holly gathered up with magic, Holly (the dove) helping to get a few things. As they walked back off stage, Holly taped Artemis' shoulder. Sucked into the air of euphoria by the cheers, and with Juliet's act theme in her head, Holly leaned up on her tip-toes and kissed Artemis softly on the lips, blue sparks escaping her fingers against her will.

Wolf whistles and excited oohs were heard from the crowd and Holly suddenly realized what she was doing. Pulling away and running off stage, she left Artemis dumb-struck, center stage, beet-red.

* * *

**A/N**: mwuahahahahahahahaha I told you I'd give you some real solid fluff and tension. R&R, and for though who haven't given their opinions on Rain Drops for Tears, GIVE YOUR OPINION! Next chapter…sometime…. 


	9. The Magic Is In Your Kiss

**A/N:** OK finally the next chapter, you're all sooooo used to me updating within like...a day. Well this time ya'll had to wait a little longer, I had no motivation. Weird. And I kinda went on some weird Danny Phantom rant :weird looks: yes I know thats really really weird, shut up. I love any and all fluff. Anyway I have a few responses to reviewers and an apology, this chapter is a tad bit short. But you get more fluff :smile:

* * *

**Identitycrisis**: Upon further staring at my reviews I realized that I had retaliated to the wrong instance, so to please and say sorry I went back and explained why she was allowed in. So you can ALL go read Magical Mishaps again for that little part of explaination. I've made a mental note to think everything through before posting rather then just trying to get the chapters out before a riot ensues. Thank you.

**Crazygirliecaptain**: No, there really isn't much of a big plot, its mostly just tension and fluff. mmmm fluff. Though I did get a plot bunny for an AU Artemis Fowl that I think I might try out later. :wink:

* * *

Plane rides are very uncomfortable when you've just kissed your co-worker.

Holly had made that mental note several times since they left for the airport, not bothering to check out of the hotel, Artemis seemed flustered and in a hurry to get home, did she really have that effect on him? She hadn't meant to turn his brain into mush…she hadn't even meant to kiss him, it just kinda…well, happened. Now, he wouldn't even look at her. 'Maybe he's mad at me….' That was another possibility that waged war against her heart's argument that he'd liked it and was now embarrassed.

When they'd arrived at the Dublin airport, Butler took one look at Artemis and pulled Holly to the side. "What happened to him?"

Holly fidgeted, her eyes glued to the ground as koolaid colors stained her cheeks. "Just, an unexpected glitch in the show." So she lied…big deal, she seemed to lie a lot now. Lied to Butler, lied to Artemis, lied to herself…everyone. Artemis rapped on the window to show he was ready to get going and was beginning to get angry with them standing around talking.

"Alright." Butler said, looking at Holly with great disbelief. The car ride back to Fowl Manor was spent in more uncomfortable silence and when they stopped in the driveway, Artemis hurled himself out of the car and ran up the steps and straight to his room, locking the door behind him.

For the next week, they rarely saw Artemis; he took all his meals in his room and only came out to go right into his study, locking himself in. Holly spent most of her time walking around the grounds thinking, or moping around in the library or her room. Juliet tried to get her to say what had happened but Holly always said the same thing. "It was nothing Juliet, just a glitch in the show."

* * *

**Artemis POV**

_Artemis' journal, encrypted, disk three_

_This is beginning to become exasperating. I don't enjoy avoiding my friends, and I don't enjoy avoiding her. I know I'm being silly about this, but quite frankly I'm not sure how to react. _

_I don't know if she did it just for the show. Or if she didn't it out of feelings. _

_All I really know…is that I felt something when her lips met mine. I felt a spark, more then a spark, magic. _

* * *

I had been locking myself in my room or my study for a little over a week, refusing to see anyone. I knew it was going to hurt them, or at the very least make them worry, but I wasn't thinking about Juliet and Butler, I was thinking about her. Holly.

Sometimes when I ran from one room to another, I would catch a glimpse of her in the hall. Her head was always down…once I was sure she'd been sitting outside my door…crying. I was sure I saw tears and panic in her downcast hazel eyes. I felt awful, putting her through this. But she was putting me through something worse.

I kept dreaming about that show…trying to remember every look she gave me. Every time she stirred the fire in my stomach with a single touch, making the beast in my chest purr. I awoke many a time, in a cold sweat, my heart racing. It felt like I was on fire, the places she'd touched me during the show burned the most intense. It was terrible, but at the same time exhilarating. After about three days, I began only moving from room to room, so I could watch her. Watch her as she walked through the rose garden. I winced when she reached out and got pricked.

I followed her movements, going from room to room. But I couldn't force myself to face her. Every time I saw her in the hall, the tiger, or whatever it was in my chest, would begin to purr and fill me with the desire to reach out and pull her into my arms, kissing her passionately. Strange thoughts….I Artemis Fowl the second, was experiencing desire, but not the kind I normally felt. This wasn't desire for power, or gold, this was desire for a living being. Desire for love.

I had never felt this emotion before, well, not this strong. I remember back before the mind wipe I felt a deluded version toward Holly, but I could always push it away. Now it seemed I was addicted to the feeling, the burning sensation that contact with her caused. The searing burn on my lips after she pulled away and ran off stage. The tingling left to run wild through my body.

Her kiss was magical.

* * *

**My All Seeing, All Knowing POV thingy**

On the third day, of the second week of Artemis' seclusion, he came to dinner. He did not speak, nor look up from his food; he ate quickly as though nervous, then retreated to his study, however he didn't lock the door.

Holly watched him throughout dinner, hardly touching her food. Juliet watched her push her peas around on the plate, occasionally raising an empty fork to her lips, pretending she was eating. When Artemis left the table, Holly waited maybe three minutes before following him, leaving her dinner uneaten.

* * *

Artemis sat at a computer, staring at the blue screen. He wasn't doing any work, wasn't researching, his fingers were still…he was thinking. When Holly slipped into the room silently, she was just in time to see Artemis' forehead collide with the screen.

"Damnit."

Holly bit her lip and came up behind him, softly tapping his shoulder. He turned around quickly, staring into her eyes. "Artemis…"

His sapphire eyes seemed to glow with the light of the computer screen. Holly felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. "I guess…we need to talk…about what happened." She said quietly.

Artemis stood and shook his head. "No, we don't." He said with an air of cold emotionless-ness. Holly bit her lip harder, feeling her heart begin to pound, causing her physical pain. Artemis watched her, afraid that she would soon split her lip, the monster in his chest was clawing at his heart. Compelling him.

Holly's lip began to throb under the pressure, as her hazel eyes remained locked with his bright blue ones. Suddenly she closed her eyes and turned her head away from him. The words were caught in her throat, fighting with the sobs for first right to be expressed. She moved her head slightly back toward him, her eyes remaining tightly shut, as she prepared to say that she was sorry for what she did something warm, and very slightly wet covered her mouth.

Her eyes shot open, to find Artemis, with his lips pressed firmly to hers, his hands clutching her shoulders. Holly struggled only the slightest bit out of shock, before relaxing and kissing him back, her hands on his chest.

They stood like that for several minutes, blue sparks emitting from Holly's fingers and dancing around their connected bodies. The tears that had been welling up in her eyes retreated. 'His kiss is magical.'

* * *

Juliet smiled and quietly shut the door to the study, patting herself on the back as she skipped down the hall to tell Butler that the illusion was now a reality.

* * *

A/N:grin grin grin: Anywho, yea next chapter should be the last. No idea when it'll be out. And Rain Drops for Tears...absolutely no idea when I'll get around to swallowing my fear of that and finishing it. Other fic, the AU one, perhaps when I finish Rain Drops for Tears. R&R 


	10. One Last Magic Trick

**A/N**: yea so…I finally did get around to finishing this. I'm sorry it took a tad longer than ya'll are used to with me, but….some stuff went down, I'll spare you my mental and depression diagnostics in favor of wrapping this fic up nicely. I hope. THIS IS THE END NO MORE AFTER THIS AND NO SEQUEL!

* * *

_**Flash From the Past **_

****

_Her eyes shot open, to find Artemis, with his lips pressed firmly to hers, his hands clutching her shoulders. Holly struggled only the slightest bit out of shock, before relaxing and kissing him back, her hands on his chest. _

_They stood like that for several minutes, blue sparks emitting from Holly's fingers and dancing around their connected bodies. The tears that had been welling up in her eyes retreated. 'His kiss is magical.'_

(A/N: say it with me…AWWWWWW!)

_**End Flash from the Past**_

****

Artemis opened his eyes hesitantly and gazed at the woman linked to him… 'How long have we been like this?' His brow knitted together in thought, which in turn caused the kiss to come to a screeching halt. One track mind you know, at least when it came to Holly. But his thoughts were in vain, it seemed like an eternity since their lips had met. 'It couldn't possibly have been more than a few minutes.' Artemis pondered as Holly slowly came to realize that her bubble of bouncy, floating cotton candy happiness had burst.

She opened her eyes and saw the look of intense concentration on Artemis' face. 'What's he thinking about….?' She wondered, her hands returning to her sides. The sudden cold spots on his chest made Artemis look over at her, and smack himself in the forehead. 'STUPID!'

"Sorry…" he burst out quickly, seeing her head tilt to one side, questioning why he'd broken the kiss.

Holly smiled softly, her hand coming up and touching his cheek. She stood up on her tip-toes, her lips heading for his, and with an inch to spare…Artemis backed away.

"…I…I've got to go check on something." Artemis ran quickly from the room, the spot on his cheek where her hand had been, was burning from her touch. Holly was left, biting her lip, on her toes, one hand raised in the air, the same searing heat coursing through her entire body.

'What's gotten into him?'

* * *

**Fowl Manor, 8:00 pm**

The rest of that day, Holly had left Artemis to his own devises, thinking it better to let him cool down. He looked so panic-y every time they passed in the hall. They ate dinner in silence, and then Artemis disappeared again; back to his room, deep in thought.

Holly amused herself by watching Moulin Rouge with Juliet, singing all the songs and guiltily drooling over Ewin McGreggor. He was such a cutie…with a voice to boot! As the movie ended, Juliet and Holly did all the normal girly things, only…not quite so girlie. They played a little dress up (always fun), experimented with different make-up on Holly (fun for Juliet) and then played truth or dare.

Honestly, truth or dare has become a lost cause, hardly anyone EVER picks dare, and when they do, they say they won't do the dare they're assigned. Cheaters. So after about ten truths, Juliet gave up and changed the game to twenty questions.

"Alright Juliet your turn." Holly sat Indian style on Juliet's bed, dressed in loose fitting, crimson red, silk pjs; her hands slowly undoing the braids Juliet had put in her hair an hour ago.

Juliet put a finger to her lips thinking. "Hmmm…oh I got it! Do you liiiiike Artemis?" Her face broke into a wide grin and she leaned close to Holly.

The elf blushed and coughed, looking around Juliet's room as she stalled. "Well…we're friends, so yea I like him."

"No. I mean, do you likelike him?"

"Uhh…" A knock at the door from Butler, told them that three in the morning was plenty late enough for girlie bonding. 'Saved by the bell! Thank you Butler!' Holly's mind screamed as Juliet groaned and shooed her brother away. The two girls set up sleeping bags on the floor of Juliet's room, having already decided to make this a real sleepover, even if Holly's room was only a few doors down. Juliet poked Holly in the side after the lights went out and leaned in toward her.

"Just one more." Even in the dark, Holly could see the puppy pout Juliet was giving her and sighed in defeat.

Juliet smiled, and with an air that didn't match her happy smile she asked, "Do you miss your home Holly?"

* * *

In the hall, crouched by Juliet's door, sat 19 year old Artemis Fowl the second. Yes he knew he was acting like a three year old spying on his older sister and the girl he had a crush on, but he wanted to know the answer to this particular question. He pressed his ear to the door and listened as Holly answered.

* * *

**Back in Juliet's room, (a few seconds after Artemis left for his room, thinking he heard all of Holly's answer)**

Holly paused, she'd already begun to answer Juliet, but she felt she needed to make something clear. "…but…this is my home now. I'm happy here…with you and Butler…and Artemis."

Juliet smiled more and hugged her friend. "Goodnight Holly."

"Goodnight Juliet…" Holly turned over content with her answer. 'This really is my home now.'

* * *

**The Next Day**

An alarm rang out, stirring Artemis from his restless slumber. His head was down on his arm, he was sitting at his desk, vials and beakers and different chemicals strewn over the wooden surface. He blinked the sleep from his eyes and leaned back in the chair stretching. Unfortunately he leaned a bit too far and the chair toppled over, sending Artemis flailing backwards onto the ground, kicking his desk and sending acids spilling to the floor where they left dark black burn marks. "Brilliant."

Artemis picked himself up off the floor and cleaned up the spilled chemicals, pocketing one small vial after checking to make sure it was undamaged. 'I'm such an idiot.' He thought with a heavy sigh.

* * *

**Kitchen, 9:34am**

Holly sat at the kitchen island, drinking the remaining milk in the bottom of her cereal bowl. She looked up when Artemis walked in and watched him sit down opposite her. His eyes seemed glazed over…grayer then normal. That beautiful sapphire blue seemed dulled.

"…downtown today. Holly?" Holly snapped back to harsh reality, Artemis snapping his fingers in her face.

"Huh?"

"I said I was going to go get something downtown today." Artemis stood as he spoke. "Butler…I'll go on my own, if that's alright."

Butler looked uneasy, but seeing the flame burning in Artemis' grayish blue eyes he nodded once.

Holly's gaze followed Artemis out of the kitchen and her ears listened for the door closing and the Bentley pulling away. Juliet watched Holly, watch Artemis, shaking her head lightly. 'They're so close…but so far. I wonder what he's doing. Maybe it wasn't meant to be after all.'

Holly sighed and excused herself, dragging her feet as she walked up to Artemis' third floor study. She collapsed into his favorite chair, his scent tickling her nose. She curled her legs up under her and rested her head on the arm of the chair, slipping into a light sleep. Lulled by Artemis' pleasant cinnamon-y scent, and the soft hum of the computers.

* * *

**1 Hour Later**

Artemis snuck in the door, a single long stem red rose clutched in his pale hands. He walked, with clenched jaw up to his presumably empty study. He opened the door slowly, mumbling to himself as he began to pace.

Over on the chair, Holly stirred and opened a large hazel eye. "Artemis?" She called out softly.

Artemis nearly jumped out of his skin; he hadn't even noticed her sleeping there. "Holly." He said in return.

Holly stood, and walked over to him. Her hazel orbs locked with his sapphire ones. She opened her mouth but he shhhed her. "Holly…I…" He began, but decided better of it and held out the rose to her. His hands were trembling and his grip was so tight that a small bit of crimson blood to match Holly's pajamas was slipping down the long stem. Holly stared at the rose with obvious confusion and reached out to take it, but Artemis pulled it back. "No…watch." He waved his free hand over the rose and it immediately bloomed, revealing a small vial of purplish, black, swirling liquid.

Holly was now even more confused as she reached out and took the rose, carefully removing the vial from the center. "What is it Artemis?"

He sighed and brushed a lock of auburn hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. "It's a special mix of chemicals…it'll counteract the effects of the radiation…. You'll be returned to your original height…you can go home." He finished with his eyes downcast.

Holly lifted the vial to eye level, tapping it softly with her finger. "But Artemis…what gave you" He cut across her, looking up into her eyes.

"I heard you…last night with Juliet. You said you missed home…now you can go back…."

Holly tilted her head, and then smiled. "Oh Artemis…you must not have heard…." Though she was slightly angry that he'd been spying on her, Holly couldn't help but feel bad that he'd heard her saying she missed home. She pushed the vial into his chest, stepping closer to him. "Artemis…this is my home now." His eyes bore into hers as she spoke, the brightness slowly returning to them. She opened her mouth again to speak, her heart pounding. "Artemis, I want to stay here…I lo…"

Artemis' finger on her lips stopped her from completing her sentence. He leaned down, his breath tickling her pointed ears. "Don't jinx it." He whispered, kissing the tender area below her ear. Holly shivered and moved into his embrace. As their lips met in a passionate, but gentle kiss they both thought at once.

'This is real…magic.'

* * *

**A/N**: That is The End. Fin. Done. Over. I hope you liked it.


End file.
